CID to probe rowdy's murder linked to Karnataka BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj

Bengaluru: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will probe the murder of a 40-year-old history-sheeter, in which BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj has been booked. 

The CID will investigate the case with immediate effect, a top police source told DH. 

Shivakumar alias Biklu Shiva (40) was fatally attacked with sharp weapons by eight men who drove up in a Mahindra Scorpio and a two-wheeler near his home in Meanee Avenue Road in Bharathinagar on July 15. 

The police have so far arrested 11 suspects, including five who surrendered initially. They have also questioned Basavaraj, the KR Puram MLA. 

Shivakumar’s mother alleged in her police complaint that the murder was due to a property dispute and that the assailants were encouraged by the BJP MLA. 

Shivakumar had registered the General Power of Attorney (GPA) of a property in his name in 2023 and built a compound surrounding it. Some workers lived there in a shed. 

The suspects trespassed on the property on February 11, 2025, and chased the workers away. Shivakumar was also threatened to give up the property and had received multiple death threats, his mother alleged. 

He had complained to the police, saying the men were backed by the MLA. 

Basavaraj has claimed innocence and promised to cooperate in the investigation.